Marty burns that moose hide a bit too

I have tried that with no luck at all

One thing good about a thread like this it’s full of valuable information especially to new trappers.

One comment is those boxes must cost a fortune for the materials in this time in history!

I collect scrap plywood every chance I get. Even if it a small piece that might only be enough for one box. It would cost a fortune if it was all
New though as 1/2 standard if $64 a sheet in Inuvik.
I make 13 boxes per sheet

I also collect scrap plywood for my boxes. Being a contractor helps.
I also use mesh for the backs, and finding scraps of that can be challenging.

I use my beaver board when they are wore out.Re-cycle 4 or 5 every few years.
Can get quite a few out of an old beaver board and they do have that ingrained beaver odour from all the pelts that have been nailed to them.

Don't you leave your boxes up through the summer Boco? I bet the bears love the beaver board boxes.

I use whatever is cheap and handy, have some plywood ones, out of various thickness of leftover and scrap plywood. And I have a bunch made out of 1" pine and fire boards, have a friend whose dad owns a sawmill and I get the ends from when he saws boards out of logs and then cuts them to length, or some bad chunks with wane on them, etc. Those boxes are heavy, especially after they soak up water, but they are free and work good.

I used boxes for years, always left them out there. Got tired of replacing at least half of them every year between the porkies and the bears. Tried the flower pot set up and I like it alot. Keep the lathe and bracket on the tree for next season. Still got a few news paper boxes out there as well, nothing messes with them as long as the bait is pulled out at the end of the season.

over all my traplines I must have 300 boxes out(not all set each year)I rarely have problems with bears wrecking boxes.
The squirrells used to chew on the old plywood,but they must not like the glue in the new plywood they dont eat them much.
I went into a part of my trapline a few years ago that I hadnt been into in about 20 years-found some old boxes half grown into some trees.
I have lost more boxes to blowdowns than bears over the years.And we are polluted with bears here.

Some guys seem to have problems with bears,It may be from lure use.I dont trap until well into freeze up,except for a few boxes if I'm setting for mink and I use bait only(frozen) and I remove all the bait when trapping is done end of feb.Bears dont come out here until early or mid may,and are normally gone by mid to end oct.

The only trouble I ever have with bears is every 10 years or so when there is lots and lots of food for them in the fall and they stay active right up to december.They follow the trapline and smash boxes and eat bait and catches.Almost always the wrecked boxes are mink boxes on the ground(fish bait)They dont seem to bother the elevated boxes but they will take a hanging catch.

Beaver is darn good for cats too.

I have never had a bear eat my marten catch, smashed boxes stolen bait but marten still in the trap.

I adjusted my boxes so that a bear can easily knock the box down.

No problem just easily reset the box.

Sounds like a good way to save a lot of time and expense. Too bad you had to learn the hard way.

one thing I've learned with bears is not to use woodscrews to fix my boxes on the trees,very difficult to replace a crooked screw i return to good old nail....I never put my lure in the box either because wood absorbs odors for a long time.Yes Boco when bear find your line he fellow and destroy until you add a good snare in the trail....lol

I pre-drill the nail holes, bear comes knock box off no problem.

Have to say not as big a problem as some think it is.

I have hundreds of boxes out and expect to change a few every year.

Had to change 4 out of 30 boxes on a run I am running right now.

Some boxes have been there 10 plus years.

Makes a quick efficient set to run and maintain.

I rather deal with the odd black bear vs the clear cut logging.

I've tried wings, lure, beaver etc. but none of it worked like green chum salmon. We catch our chum in early October and crib it, then throw a tarp over it till trapping season. After fermenting for a month or so it has some stank to it that puts out the funk even in subzero temps. I use green chum for lynx and wolverine too and it works just as well for them as it does for marten. I've also used other types of fish with good results, the more stank the better at least in my neck of the woods...........................

^^^^^^
That's pretty much what old timers used in Washington before the 1960's. I tried it years ago, worked okay, but I didn't like that the smell got on everything it seemed. Beaver much cleaner imo.

Marginal luck with fish, here. Fresh/frozen salmon heads are great for mink, (I actually used to target them when they were worth $20.00 plus average), but not great on anything else.
Have tried rotted hooligan, herring, salmon, in 5 gallon buckets, rotted down to puss. Then run the bucket up a tree and pop holes in it. Can be smelt for a long ways, but never noticed any increase in furbearers.
I do well with duck carcasses, but beaver is my go-to for marten.

Every so often I buy those $64 sheets. Had to make more boxes and o was out of scrap. Planning a good push to end the season

It seems to me that this is the most budget-friendly option.

That will work,but when it gets very cold,the plastic shatters in short order.